NATIONAL INTERSCHOOL CHESS COMPETITION

A group of very excited students arrived in Melbourne for the Chess Nationals on the final weekend in November. It was quite cool, with everyone wearing warm jackets and acclimatizing from the 36 degrees when we left Perth. We stayed at The University of Melbourne at Queen’s College in the student dorms. They were pretty basic rooms with Dylan and Morgan sharing their room with a very inquisitive little mouse!

On Sunday morning, we walked into the city and to the Docklands and after 9kms, arrived back home with a group of very grumpy kids complaining about the merits of exercise (Not!)

The Individual tournament was held on Sunday, with Paddy and Jack drawing for third place, with Paddy taking out the third prize on a count back. A fabulous effort by all the team.

Monday and Tuesday, the Nationals were under way with all the kids extremely focused on winning, improving their game and playing above their rating.

A fun Games Night was held on Monday night with Transfer Chess and a few other activities to relax after a hard day of concentration.

Tuesday was hard fought out by the students and the Senior team drew for Fifth spot. They all played extremely well and were playing well above their individual rating most of the time so a fantastic effort by them all.

The Middle school team also performed well and came in at a very acceptable Tenth position out of 24 teams. It was the first time in such a competitive tournament for 3 of the students but they played well and learnt a great deal.

Well done to all the students and a big thank you to the 2 parents who accompanied the group.

BUILDING CHESS BRIDGES TO LEEMING PRIMARY SCHOOL

Leeming PS was also well represented at the National Interschool Chess Competition. Both Leeming schools travelled to and from the tournament on the same flights and stayed at the same accommodation.

It is a fantastic experience for all the students and it was wonderful to see the secondary students playing chess with the primary students and helping them to improve their game.

The four days in Melbourne was a great way for the Leeming primary students to get to know the older students, assisting their transition to Leeming High by already knowing the members of the Chess team and sharing such a great experience.